Presidential Food Follies

On this most presidential of days, we at Delish put our
collective hand over our collective heart and salute this great country and the
presidents who have stood at its helm...by looking back a history of their food
follies. Let's jump in!

Barack Obama

Obama's presidency has been momentous for foodies. From the
White House vegetable garden to the overhaul of America's food safety laws, his
reign has been a smooth one - foodwise, at least. Except for one infamous
dinner. When Obama held a dinner in honor of the visiting Indian Prime Minister
his guest list unexpectedly grew by two. Michaele and Tareq Salahi crashed the
party and generated quite the stir.

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George W. Bush

President Bush's time in office certainly wasn't lacking in
folly and food didn't escape his goofs. At the start of his term, Bush was
kicking back. He was lounging in his bedroom watching a Baltimore-Miami NFL
playoff game when he learned the real meaning of the phrase "snack attack." Apretzel lodged in his throat causing him to choke and pass out. Obviously he
survived.

George H. Bush

W's father did not escape food related embarrassment. At a
dinner in Japan in 1992 the former President committed a faux pas worse that
putting your elbows on the table and using the wrong fork combined. He threw up
into the lap of Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and then passed out.
The notorious incident created such a stir that it gave rise to a new Japanese
slang term: bushusuru, which means "to do the Bush thing" or vomit.

At a gala dinner in D.C. the former actor forgot his lines.
While welcoming Princess Diana to the U.S. he mistakenly expressed his
happiness that "Princess David" was visiting. He quickly corrected his mistake.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

FDR's embarrassing food tale isn't limited to one occasion.
His entire time in office was a culinary shame thanks to the First Lady and her
choice of chef. Though her husband often complained and begged for better
meals, Eleanor refused and kept her faithful chef Henrietta Nesbitt in the
kitchen. Mrs. Nesbitt was first hired when FDR was the Governor of New York as
a baker. When Roosevelt was elected as president, Mrs. Roosevelt asked
Henrietta to take the job of housekeeper of the White House. It was soon
realized that while the desserts were palatable the main dinner was not. FDR's
time in office is widely regarded as the least delicious. There are theories
that Eleanor kept Mrs. Nesbitt in employment as a passive aggressive attack
against the President's extra-marital activities.

William Howard Taft

It should come as no surprise that the portliest president
makes an appearance on this list. In 1905 Taft attended a dinner given by the
President of the Tea Guild in Japan. That night Taft was, according to a letter
he wrote to his wife, "roused in the night with a diarrhea." Food poisoning had
struck the president and eleven other members of the dinner party. And it
wasn't the only time. In 1907 he ate some faulty fish at the Minneapolis Club
in Minnesota during a cross-country speaking tour. He was violently ill from
4am to 7am the next morning. Being a man of integrity, the President carried on
with his duties the next day and nearly collapsed. He was given whiskey to help
him but, unsurprisingly, it didn't help.

Abraham Lincoln

We finish with the man whose birth we celebrate today (along
with some Washington guy). Lincoln's inaugural dinner was comprised of a
luxurious and lavish post-ball midnight buffet. The menu ranged from terrapin
stew to foie gras to fruit ices and cakes. When supper was announced the crowd,
ravenous from hours of dancing and celebrating, rushed the table. There was
pushing, grabbing, stuffing. The melee resulted in ruined buffet as well as
several nearby patent exhibits.